RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF APRIL 7, 2016
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RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners congratulating Blanche Viola (nee: Krempp) Olson in celebration of her 100th birthday, April 19, 2016
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WHEREAS, Blanche Viola (nee: Krempp) Olson will celebrate her 100th Birthday in Holdrege, Nebraska on April 19, 2016; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche Viola (Nee: Krempp) Olson was born April 19, 1916 in Peoria, Illinois, and she was the third of seven children delivered by Dr. Trewyn who came to their house of two bedrooms (RR#1, Middle Road) now 3209 W. Fremont, Peoria, Illinois in his horse drawn buggy, and delivered her siblings Marie Thelma (Nee: Krempp) Nelson Moore (1914-2008), Jennie Matilda (Nee: Krempp) Hooste Davis (1918-2001) (Mother of Commissioner Frank Avila’s wife Sharilyn “Sherry”), Ruth Fern Krempp (1920-1920 died at 12 days), Henry “Hank” Michael Krempp (1922-1972) and Leroy Richard Krempp (1923-1923 died at 3 days) except for her oldest sister Effie Mae Bambrough who was born in St. Elmo, 1908 and died 1996 in Peoria, Illinois; and, Blanche’s cousin Harold Decker lived with them when his Mother Martha Decker (sister of Hannah) died in 1922 at 32 years; and, in 2016, Blanche is the only survivor of her seven siblings; and, married in St. Louis, Missouri, Blanche and her sibling’s parents were Hannah Macey (Nee: Diveley) (born in Vandalia, Illinois 1887 and died 1924 in Peoria) and Henry Krempp (1885-1954), a coal miner who worked for the Crescent and Star Coal Mines in Peoria, Illinois; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche Krempp and her family went fishing, sang songs, rode up Grandview Drive in Peoria, and went on picnics in the family’s Model T Ford whose crank handle kicked back and broke her Father Henry’s arm; and, influenced by her Father Henry Krempp who came from a family of horticulturalists, Blanche’s family loved the outdoors, nature, flowers, and roses; and, they gathered hazelnuts, walnuts, hickory nuts, and butternuts; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche and her sisters attended Pleasant Hill Elementary School, 3717 W. Malone Street. on Dutch Hill in Peoria, Illinois; and, they wore two homemade percale dresses a year, one dark blue and one gray; and, Blanche broke her arm climbing over a banister during a game of tag; and,
WHEREAS, the wall in Blanche’s Krempp family kitchen was painted a dark green which made a very good “blackboard,” and Blanche and her siblings used chalk to learn many things from her older sister Effie and her Mother Hannah’s instructions which helped them all do well in school, and, and she passed on that love of learning to her children, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews including her youngest sister Jennie’s children Sherry, Joan, and Gary; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche and her siblings lived in Peoria until her Mother Hannah tragically died on March 24, 1924 after her Mother put up almost 400 cans of food the summer before; and, Blanche, 7 years, and her sisters Marie, 9, and Jennie, 5, were sent to Nebraska by train from Galesburg, Illinois after a good-bye picnic to live with their Aunt Cleta (Clara) who was their Mother Hannah’s youngest sister and Clara’s husband Gorge Fleishman on a farm in Nebraska while her oldest sister Effie remained working in Peoria; and her baby brother Henry, 2, was informally adopted by Annie and Joe Nagel who eventually ended up living in Arizona at the Tegawitha Navajo Indian Mission; and their Aunt Clara was in her sewing club when they arrived, and they had to wait outside all afternoon until the sewing club was over; and,
WHEREAS, as many as nine dogs including “Old Shep”, cats, and three pigs followed Blanche, Marie, and Jennie to school in Nebraska; and, Blanche got to trip the binder to cut and bind the wheat until they got a tractor; and, Blanche split some of the wood and helped spade the garden; and, sisters Blanche, Marie, and Jennie climbed to the top of the trees in their orchards to pick apples and cherries that they shared with their friends; and, they ate apples prepared in every possible way plus cider; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche’s life on the Fleishman farm in Nebraska also included running from the cows and bulls especially “Jumbo,” milking the cows, white rabbits, gathering eggs from the chickens, filling pillows from the plucked down feathers of the geese, riding horses, climbing big haystacks, climbing the windmill, riding the tractor, feeding the farmworkers, picking wild green onions; homemade bread and biscuits, butter she churned; and the bonus of a player piano that Aunt Clara played; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche and her sisters Marie and Jennie played dominoes, solitaire, and other card games and put together puzzles and passed the enjoyment of these board games, card games, and jigsaw puzzles to her children, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche’s Aunt Clara and Uncle George took the girls fishing, camping including Lake Sylvian in the Black Hills, the Nebraska State Fair, camping on the Republican River, camping in a tent with straw beds, the circus, and, even to a silent movie; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche’s Aunt Clara even more tragically died at 34 years in 1931; and, Blanche’s Uncle George and his sister Mary Meserve sent Blanche, and her sisters Marie, and Jennie to their older sister Effie and her husband Bill Bambrough in Peoria, Illinois; however, Blanche who had all A’s in her Junior Year of Holdrege High School was broken hearted having to leave Nebraska during her Senior Year of high school, therefore, she bravely returned to Holdrege, Nebraska to finish her senior year of high school while she earned her room and board working as did her sister Marie; and, this resulted in many more road and train trips from Illinois to Nebraska to Arizona; and,
WHEREAS, before an Education Degree was required, Blanche taught 17 students at a rural school with seven grades for one year; and, she continued to promote the value of education and learning all her life to all the members of her immediate and extended family; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche married Vilner Olson April 14, 1934 in the “dirty thirties” or Dust Bowl days of Nebraska; and, Blanche and Vilner had a son Bobby Vilner Olson; and, Vilner’s Mother Annie Lydia Swanberg was born in 1877 in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Nebraska; and, Blanche, Vilner, and their baby son Bobby moved to Peoria to live with her older sister Effie and her husband Bill because of the drought in Nebraska; but they returned to Nebraska to farm after about a year; and,
WHEREAS, until about 1950, Blanche and Vilner had no electricity and no running water; and, windmill, a wood and coal burning range and heating stove, wash boilers, washboard, irons heated by fire, ice box with ice from the river, cistern pump, kerosene lamps, Belgian horses, outdoor toilet, shocking corn by hand, and occasional tornadoes were their way of life; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche worked in Holdrege clerking at O.P. Skaggs, Lumpkin Food Stores, and Paige’s Bungalow Grocery Store, retiring in 1978; and, her husband Vilner caught his hand in the combine and lost some of his fingers, and he retired from farm work in 1979; and, her husband Vilner also measured land for the government, attended gas stations, worked at the local co-op, installing furnaces and and appliances and delivering merchandise; and, Blanche and Vilner celebrated 57 years of marriage before he died in 1991; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche and her sister Marie volunteered to organize the Nebraska Prairie Museum of the Phelps County Historical Society, Holdrege, Nebraska; and, she also proofread and counted the words for various 1980’s editions of the Phelps County Historical books in which she and her sisters Marie and Jennie are featured with historical articles and photos; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche and her deceased husband Vilner were active, dedicated members of the Moses Hill Covenant Church, Holdrege; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche survived World War I, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl droughts of their farm, World War II, Korean War, Viet Nam War, the Cold War, bombing of the Twin Towers in New York 2001, various middle eastern conflicts, and acts of terrorism across the USA and the World; and, even rode a motorcycle on one of her senior birthdays; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche Viola (nee: Krempp) Olson and her husband Vilner raised, hosted, entertained, mentored, educated, and nursed their son Bobby and daughter in law Harolynn; grandchildren: Michaela “Micki” Sue Olson and her husband Eugene “Gene” Paul Norberg; Craig Lee Olson and his wife Barb (Rademacher); and great grandchildren: Angela Joy Norberg, Carl David Norberg, Kylie Jana Olson, Kerbie Leigh Olson, Luke Matthew Olson; and great great grandchildren Emma, Vince, and Anilee; and, numerous nieces and nephews including Commissioner Frank Avila’s wife, Sharilyn “Sherry” and her sister Joan and brother Gary; and,
WHEREAS, Blanche is dearly and deeply loved by all of her family, friends, and neighbors who appreciate her for giving generously of her time and energy, creativity, patience, understanding, kindness, big-heartedness, spirituality, thoughtfulness, responsibility, dependability, respectfulness, intelligence, work ethic, and all her talents, abilities, and gifts; and,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and our staff extend our congratulations to Blanche Viola (nee: Krempp) Olson in celebration of her 100th birthday; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Dated: April 7, 2016
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; MICHAEL A. ALVAREZ; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; CYNTHIA M. SANTOS; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel, RMH:bh